A friend is serving a church in which there are quite a few young children. Before the service starts, and after it is over, the children run and play and chase each other. These chasing games often spill over into the sanctuary where running down one aisle and up the other is great fun. During the service the children are likely to get a bit squirmy at times. I have attended, and was excited by the number of children and at their comfort level in God's house. I watched them once during a communion service, and when coming forward the children were very respectful.

Now comes three women to complain. They are not happy with the children running before and after, and squirming during worship. They want the Pastor to lower the boom on these children and their families so that they stand still and be quiet at all times when they are in the building. The Pastor is caught. He loves having the children, and sees it as a sign of health for the congregation. But these women are very influential, and have been members, and good givers, for years.

When I was a child we knew how to behave during worship. But before, after, and during the week we saw it as just a building. It seems to me that these children are acting the same way. I think there is more going on in my friend's church than noisy children, but I still have the voice of Jesus ringing in my ears: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for to such belong the Kingdom of God."

Creator God, you have created humans in your image. But sometimes we think that that only applies to adult humans between the ages of 25 and 60. We often discount the very young and very old as having less to contribute to society. Help us to see your face when we look into the eyes of others. Help us to truly listen to those we might otherwise discount. All persons are persons of sacred worth, no matter their age, so help us to value them and their contributions both to society and to our congregations...

What a week it has been! Ebola is taking lives in West Africa. Israel and Hamas are bombing each other, with innocent civilians paying the price. ISIS (or ISIL) is beheading people simply for their faith. An unarmed teen is gunned down near St. Louis. Depression overtook a very funny, compassionate man and he hanged himself.

Most of these events, and others happening in the world, seem to stem from our inability to see other people as being a part of us rather than apart from us. We bring US aid workers home to cure them of Ebola, but have to be cajoled to share the medicine with Africa. My religion is better than your religion, so you deserve to die. You aren't behaving as I think you should, so I'm going to rid the world of you. You don't deserve to live in or have control over this or that piece of land. And on and on it goes.

We are not created to be, or to think we are, better than anyone else. We are created to build one another up, to support one another, to encourage one another. We are created to love one another, even people from other cultures, and to share God's love with them in every way we can. Let us actively look for ways of making the days better for people around us. If we do that, then maybe it will expand from us to others, and from them to still more.

Creator God, your creation seems to be degrading into chaos again. We need your presence to help restore order. As your Word went forth to create this world we know, so we need your Word to once again be the leading and guiding force in decision-making today. Let us take that Word into the world in such a way that all your people are touched by your grace and mercy, and experience your love in such a way that they may be accepting of others...